Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright had an amazing ability to make art out of ordinary objects and materials. He was inspired by nature & geometric patterns and tried to achieve simplicity, unity, and harmony in his designs.

He designed private residences and public buildings with every detail in mind. Landscape, structure, fireplaces, windows, furniture, lighting were all components of a unified environment.

Frank Lloyd Wright at a Glance

Click on the small link to be taken to the Frank Lloyd Wright Wikipedia page.

Frank Lloyd Wright (born Frank Lincoln Wright, June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1959) was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. This philosophy was best exemplified by his design for Fallingwater (1935), which has been called "the best all-time work of American architecture". Wright was a leader of the Prairie School movement of architecture and developed the concept of the Usonian home, his unique vision for urban planning in the United States.

Wright Plus 2013

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust held it's 39th Annual Wright Plus Housewalk in Oak Park, Illinois on Saturday, May 18th. It was a chance for people to tour inside 9 private homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries as well as 3 landmark Wright buildings.

Rowing Boathouse

Buffalo New York

FLW designed a boathouse for the University of Wisconsin in 1905. He felt it was one of his greatest designs but when the school didn't take on the project he never got to see it built.

Fast forward to 1997 when a few men from upstate New York, who came across the plans at a conference of Wright scholars, wanted to revive the project. Further work had to be done to make that happen. They enlisted the help of Anthony Puttnam from Taliesin Architects, an apprentice of Wright's, who took the sketches and worked out the final details so it could be built.

102 years after it was designed, on Friday, September 28th, 2007, Frank Lloyd Wright's vision became a reality. The project was completed and opened to the public in Buffalo, N.Y. on the Niagara River.

Frank Lloyd Wright in the Midwest

Frank Lloyd Wright built in 33 States of the US, most notably Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan.

The images above are (from left to right):

Susan Lawrence Dana House, Springfield, IL

Unity Temple, Oak Park, IL

Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, IL

Taliesin, Spring Green, Wisconsin

Melvyn Maxwell Smith House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Frank Lloyd Wright in the West

Arizona, California...and Japan

The images above are (from left to right):

Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix Arizona

Hollyhock House, Los Angeles, California

Charles Ennis House, Los Angeles, California

Imperial Hotel, Inuyama City, Japan

Frank Lloyd Wright in the East

There are a good number of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Pennsylvania and New York

The images above are (from left to right):

Falling Water, Mill Run, Pennsylvania

Isaac Newton Hagan House, Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY

Darwin D. Martin House, Buffalo, NY

Learning about Frank Lloyd Wright

When I was in school for architecture one of my professors was Grattan Gill. He was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Grattan is one of a small number of Wright's students from the 1950s still actively practicing architecture. He taught a class called Frank Lloyd Wright: A Life's Work. Who better to teach such a class than one who learned from FLW directly. Since I was in the class my uncle thought he should stock me up on books and videos about Mr. Wright and some of those are shown below.

More books from my collection

This book talks about all of Wright's buildings that are no longer around. Some of them include the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, the Midway Gardens in Chicago and the Larkin Administration Building in Buffalo NY.

I have these FLW videos on VHS - Some of them are now on DVD

Zimmerman House

The Zimmerman House was one of the homes that Grattan brought us to. We were in school in Rhode Island so two houses in Manchester, New Hampshire were the closest Frank Lloyd Wright buildings for us to visit. Unfortunately I can not find my photographs.

The other house was the Kalil House, a private residence that is not open to the public. We were able to go in since Grattan knew the owners. I'm very sad to say that I have no photos to share.

Short Frank Lloyd Wright Videos on YouTube

FLW Inspired Leather Journals

For those future Architects

Froebel Gifts

Frank Lloyd Wright was introduced to Froebel Gifts when his mother bought a set for him at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. They were developed by Friedrich Froebel in the 1830s to help children learn about geometric form and design. Wright was fascinated by them and much of his work as an adult was influenced by the geometric shapes he experimented with as a child.

Taliesin West was the Winter home, school, and studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Taliesin is a Welsh term meaning "shining brow". Taliesin West was literally built from the desert floor on the brow of a hill in the Sonoran Desert...

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Are you a Frank Lloyd Wright Fan?

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flicker lm 6 years ago

Yes, I'm a big FLW fan. Very interesting that you studied with Grattan Gill. I did some research on FLW some years ago, so am familiar with his name - and familiar as well with some of the books you list. Enjoyed the video of Fallingwater! Great job on the lens!

fugeecat lm 6 years ago

I visited the Oak Park a few years ago and saw many of the homes he designed as well as the home he lived in while he resided in Oak Park. They are all beautiful.

Ronald Tucker 7 years agofrom Louisville, Kentucky

I have been a fan of Franl Lloyd Wright for many years. I can recall seeing documentary that featured Falling Water, located in Mill Run Pennsylvania. I thought how ingenious it was to incorporate the homes design to blend with the natural surroundings.When I was attending Parsons School of Design in New York City in the late 1970's I had the opportunity to visit the iconic Guggenheim Museum with all its curvaceous splendor.Franl Lloyd Wright was a prctictioner of "Green Design" decades before the public knew what "environmentally friendly" designed building were.

anonymous 7 years ago

Enjoyed the lens, I have seen a lot of his work up close. And just a bit of trivia, the world famous Lincoln Log Sets a favorite toy for many, were designed by Franks son John Lloyd Wright.

Sharon Weaver 7 years agofrom Los Angeles, CA

His style is one I have always loved and he was a real character. I have been to the Hollyhock house here LA. It is wonderful. Great lens

anonymous 8 years ago

I enjoy various types of architecture and especially the craftsmen homes. Very nice lens, thanks. Visit my lens at your leasure.Debra

Katherine Tyrrell 8 years agofrom London

I was a student of architecture at a very young age - in the libraries finding all the books I could aged 8! I loved the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Falling Water always seemed to me like a dream house.Very nice lens 5*

anonymous 8 years ago

Fallingwater's amazing! Thanks for updating with his latest and most relished works.

Deb Kingsbury 9 years agofrom Flagstaff, Arizona

We used to live just up the road from Falling Water and very close to Kentuck Knob. I loved both places, particularly because the tours were so well done with so many interesting tidbits about the man and his work.

MAJArch 9 years ago

Hi all,GoodInfo,I believe it was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who said "Architecture is frozen music". That is my architecture firm's motto!Great lens. Thanks for all of the info on Wright@! Having been to several of his works, I can say I am a huge fan :)

MagicBeanDip 9 years ago

Nice to see all the photos of his work. 5*

MrMarmalade 9 years ago

I heard of frank Lloyd Wright, whilst reading Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead". i became fascinated with Mr. Wright at the stage and my enthusiasm has never diminished.Rated you 5 stars